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Salt Rising Bread from Drums of Autumn

“No, let him stay, Auntie,” he said, croaking slightly. “He’s a good fellow. Are ye no, a charaid?” He laid a hand on the dog’s neck, and turned his head so his cheek lay pillowed against Rollo’s thick ruff.

“All right, then.” Moving slowly, with a wary glance at the unblinking yellow eyes, I approached the bed and smoothed Ian’s hair. His forehead was still hot, but I thought the fever was a bit lower. If it broke in the night, as it well might, it was likely to be succeeded by a fit of violent shivering — when Ian might well find Rollo’s warm hairy bulk a comfort.

“Sleep well.”

“Oidhche mhath.” He was half asleep already, drifting into the vivid dreams of fever, and his “good-night” was barely more than a murmur.

I moved quietly about the room, tidying away the results of the day’s labors; a basket of fresh-gathered peanuts to be washed, dried and stored; a pan of dried reeds laid flat and covered with a layer of bacon grease to make rushlights. A trip to the pantry, where I stirred the beer mash fermenting in its tub, squeezed out the curds of the soft cheese a-making, and punched down the slow-rising salt bread, ready to be made into loaves and baked in the morning, when the small Dutch oven built into the side of the hearth would be heated through the night’s low fire.

Diana Gabaldon, Drums of Autumn, Chapter 28

Salt Rising Bread (SRB) is a dense, yeastless white bread that uses a unique overnight fermentation process as its rising agent. While its origin remains uncertain, it most likely came to the United States with 18thC European immigrants. It was made all over the country, but was especially popular in the Appalachian states.

The very name is a misnomer. Salt is not even a necessary ingredient for Salt Rising Bread, although it does lend great flavour to the loaves when included. The bread most likely acquired its name because the starter was originally set in a bed of warm rock salt overnight to maintain the required temperature for fermentation.

It took me 3 attempts to get the starter fermenting on a bed of coarse salt in the slow cooker/crock pot. I finally achieved success with a starter from a woman in Pennsylvania who made SRB for over 80 years. This picture shows the starter just after I uncovered it after 15 hours on the Warm setting.

A much more practical way to keep the starter at temperature is to put it in a tall jar with a lid, and then stand the jar in a crock pot partially filled with water.

Since no yeast is present, the dough is leavened entirely by the gases which are a by-product of the bacterial fermentation. SRB has an exceptionally close grain, a fine texture, an extra-white crumb, as well as a distinctive flat top and a subtle cheese-like flavor and aroma.

But SRB is also infamously tricky. The starter can be tough to activate, and even if you manage it, the life span of the bacterial organisms is limited and eventually terminates. Sourdough starters, in contrast, can be kept indefinitely because they contain a variety of continually growing wild yeasts and bacteria.

To help me in this temperamental baking venture, I enlisted the help of a new online friend from the OK Facebook page. Lori and I share a love of many things, including, obviously enough, Outlander and cooking. And when I found out that Lori also has professional culinary training, I jumped on the chance to have her join me in conducting simultaneous colonial bread baking experiments in our cross-continent modern kitchens. (While I’m in BC, Canada, Lori lives in Louisiana.)

Altogether, Lori and I made 5 successful batches of Salt Rising Bread over 2 long days. We traded photos/tips back and forth, marvelled at our unexpected success and spent a lot of time, just hanging around, waiting for something to happen. It’s a fascinating process from a different era, and it gives you a very good idea why the Suffragette movement didn’t come about a little sooner.

The women were stuck waiting for the dough to rise.

You’ll find that the times I’ve given in the recipe are guidelines — this dough does not rise before it’s time — the last batch I made took 11 hours to rise once it was in the pans. It’s not exactly instant yeast.

But if you like to bake, I think you’ll find it fun. Pick a day when you’ll be around the house all day, and you should, if all goes well, have 2 fresh loaves of bread for your efforts. Start some Crock Pot Chicken Fricassee after you put the dough into the pans for its second rise, and you’ll have an Outlander-themed dinner worthy of Mrs. Bug.

My thanks to Susan Brown and her Salt Rising Bread Project page. The recipe below is adapted from her Starter #3 Recipe. I highly recommend reading through Susan’s site before starting your own batch. Lori and I both found the information invaluable.

Mix together the ingredients for the starter and pour into a pitcher or tall jar and cover with a lid.

Place the pitcher in a crock pot filled with enough water so that it is 1” higher than the level of the starter in the jar. Set the crock pot on warm and leave it overnight. The starter must be kept in a warm place (90-110° F) for 8-16 hours. When the starter has successfully fermented, it will be foamy/bubbly and have developed a distinct aroma of “rotten cheese.” If, after that time, the starter is not activated, discard and start again.

To the fermenting starter, add the milk, salt, sugar, butter and flour to make a soft, slightly sticky, dough that can be easily handled.

Form into a ball, cover with clean towel or plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm, draught-free place until almost doubled in size, approx 2-4 hours.

Grease 2 loaf pans with butter.

Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. On a lightly floured counter, press each piece into a rectangle about ½” thick. Starting on the shorter end, roll up the dough one section at a time, using your thumbs to pinch the seam closed after each roll. Pinch the final seam closed, then gently rock the loaf to even it out — do not taper the ends.

Transfer the dough to the prepared pans. Ensure the loaf touches both ends of the pan to ensure an even rise. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a clean dishtowel and set aside to rise again, until the dough is doubled in size and cresting the top of the pans, approx 2-6 hours.

68 Comments

You’re not kidding, Jenn! I’m not usually a Wonder Bread girl, but sometimes you just want something easy…

Cruchy

November 19, 2015 at 11:37 am

cook for long time. love to figure out lost recipes with gaps left because ,baker retired and never wrote it down. or by hearsay . used people who were familiar with old foods to taste and test if i got it right. i then give the recipes away back to keep the local traditions alive.
I have found one place the salt rising bread was less moist and when toasted had the feel almost like a English muffin. with slight crunch. great after taste.
Instead of a flat top , a dome and great flavor and texture.
The bread was dense, had a dome top , not as high as yeast bread.
after experimenting and sending out taste samples I found the answers
The baker used 11gms of salt, the increase ,s1.3tsp of baking soda for 2 loafs and extended baking time to get a internal temp of 205 F, finish loaf out of pan rest at least 3 hrs. important in final rise is keep the dough in pans burst with oil to keep the top moist to stop a seal to form. cover with plastic or towel , til the dough reach the top of pan ,take cover off last hr. of rise to get the dome effect it works every time.

Sounds like a great recipe. This one, however, is historically appropriate to the 18th C because of it’s lack of baking soda.

Lisa C

March 10, 2012 at 7:22 am

I have tried twice to make the darn bread, with no success so far; but I am determined. It is important to have the “germ in” corn meal as well! My crock is too hot to ferment at the right temperature. I am thinking of using a heating pad next time and wrapping the jar with a bowl to keep in the warmth.

I used stone-ground organic corn meal and Lori used regular, plain ol’ cornmeal, both with good results. The heating pad method didn’t work for me, as my heating pad wasn’t hot enough (grr). I also tried starting it in the oven with the light on, which didn’t get hot enough either, but with a larger watt bulb (40W maybe?) I am convinced this method would have worked. Good luck, Lisa!

Lisa C

March 10, 2012 at 7:26 am

Also, If you start the fermentation of the starter at dinner time on friday night, then hopefully be saturday afternoon you will have the starter finished and can start on the leavening process.

In my experience, if the starter isn’t activated after 8-16 hours, it’s time to toss it and start again. If you begin your starter at about 8pm, then, by 8am or 12 noon the next morning, your starter should be active and ready to proceed.

Amazing. I still haven’t even tried the other bread yet, but I’d love to try this one. I find the whole process of fermentation interesting. I think it’s also in DoA or maybe ABOSAA where Claire mentions putting out a bowl of bread dough (?) to catch a yeast from the air – how did they know the right yeast would land in the bowl?
Bread is fascinating.

Thanks, Kiri! Lori and I both had a lot of fun learning about it…I’d never heard of salt rising bread until I saw it in Drums of Autumn.

bullrem

March 11, 2012 at 3:24 pm

I have mine started. How did they keep that constant temp year round for this started, I wonder?? We will see what success I have. The mixture just now was thicker than I thought it would be. But then that is how you make flour paste – so there. My crock pot just has low and high. I hope that will be ok. Helen in Ark.

oooh, how exciting, Helen! Let us know how it goes. I hope the low setting is low enough…we shall see!

bullrem

March 12, 2012 at 7:38 pm

Well, no the low setting was not low enough. After about three hours the starter was a solid mass working on being cooked through. The water temp was over 150 degrees. I tried another crock (just with water) and it reached the same temp and that crock had a warm setting. So before I try again, I need advice on maintaining 100 degrees without waiting for August. Helen in Ark.

I was afraid of that… 🙁 But no fear, we’ll figure out a method that works! I did try it at the back of the oven, beside the oven light. It wasn’t hot enough, so it didn’t work, but I think with a 25W or 40W bulb it would work.

The other idea, Helen, is a heating pad. Perhaps set a bowl of water on a heating pad for a couple of hours and see what temperature you get? You can adjust the pad’s setting from there…keep us updated! Theresa

bullrem

March 13, 2012 at 7:13 pm

I was just thinking I might fix a small box with a heat lamp, pan of water, my starter, and a towel over the whole thing. This might work if I do not burn
the house down. I will experiment with that. Helen in Ark.

Hi, Theresa. This is Susan Brown (the “SRB lady” as I am sometimes called) writing. I am so excited to see your web site and to know that you are making SRB! It’s especially exciting that you have introduced this wonderful bread to so many other people through your site. I just love it that you are helping to “keep the tradition alive,” as I like to think of it. Congratulations on being successful with your bread! And, by the way, the picture of your bread looks great. The loaf should be golden and should be flat on the top, as yours was. Thank you for mentioning my webpage about SRB. I am always more than happy to help others, through email from my website, in their efforts to make SRB. It’s all so very interesting and fun, isn’t it!! Best wishes to you! Susan

OK, here is what I will try next week. I have a box about 2 feet tall by 1 foot across. I have a goose-neck table lamp, thermometer and a quart canning jar. I set this up this last week and the temp reached 90 degrees. We will see what results I can achieve for real. Helen in Ark.

Hi, Helen. You will need to reach a higher temperature than 90 degrees for your SRB starter to work. The bacteria necessary for success with SRB needs to have at least 104-106 degrees to grow. Good luck to you!! Susan

Well, the box method worked. The bread rose, I kneaded it and placed it in the baking pans, it rose again, I baked it and we thoroughly enjoyed it for supper tonight. Yeah, me!! I have pictures, but I am not sure if you want to see them, or how to get them to you.
Helen in Ark.

Hello Helen and Theresa,
I followed the box and goose neck lamp method, and it worked great for me. Thanks for sharing. It felt more like a science experiment at first, but it was fun.
Enjoying fresh bread tonight.
Thanks again,
Patty

Angela

May 4, 2012 at 6:25 am

I make coconut milk yogurt that needs to stay between 90 to 115 degrees for 8 to 10 hours. After several failed attempts, i have found if i put my crock pot on warm and fill most of the way with water, i can keep 2 jars of yogurt at that temp. I leave the lids off and cover with a towel. I am now ( due to allergies) trying to make this bread. Am hoping a similiar technique will work for the starter.

That technique sounds very similar to the one we had most success with, Angela…I tried covering the jar with the starter with a towel, but I found the mix dried out…a tight fitting lid worked best for both Lori and I. Good luck with it! Theresa

It has been 15 hours and my starter is only slightly foamy but most certainly smells like rotten cheese {GAG} … and it isnt much above the level it was last night. Your appears to have foamed up quite a bit. Do you think it’s worth carrying on with the recipe? Or if I give the starter more than 16 hours is that bad? I’m not completely bummed but I’m not sure that it’s quite right either lol!

if it’s foamy and smelly, then you should definitely proceed! It may just be slow in starting…my first batch was like that, but by the time I shaped the loaves, the rising action had really picked up speed! The timing is a guideline…yours may take an hour or two more (or less, for that matter). good luck!

Ive found i cant make anything homemade with yeast in it. So ive been searching for bread recipes with no yeast. Im excited to try this. My question is when you put the start in the crock pot does the crock pot need its lid on or do you leave it off? Any other help would be great.

Most of my dad’s family were raised on mountain farms (East Tennessee, Western North Carolina), and I can remember them making this bread. As many of them cooked on wood stoves, they would put the starter (or anything that needed to be kept warm) on the back of the stove, usually covered with a towel. A crock pot seems like a good modern substitute. I love your page – it brings back so many memories of growing up in the mountains, and the wonderful country-style food my great-aunties would make.

What a wonderful memory from your childhood, Elaine! So glad you like what you see here in my little kitchen. 😉

Brynne

March 25, 2013 at 4:04 pm

My husband and I are from (and still live in) Western NC. This is his favorite bread. When he was little and got sick- his grandmother made “milk toast” which is toasted srb covered with warm milk, butter, and paprika. Thank you for your post! I think I will give this a try. 🙂

Anne-Marie

June 1, 2014 at 11:58 am

I realize this is silly… .and it is not for myself, but my husband cannot have gluten…. will this work with GF flours? I would assume so… =). being new to the GF world, I thought I might ask… =). thank you!!!

It’s not a silly question, Anne Marie! I don’t have a definite answer, but I doubt this would work with GF flour, at least not without tinkering with the recipe. Gluten is a key factor in a bread’s rise, but I really don’t know much more about it.

Kim in Phx

August 14, 2014 at 6:21 pm

I used to keep a sourdough starter but it was too much work. Now I make extra starter and then spread it thinly on a Silpat and dry it for 24-48 hrs. After it’s dry, I crack it into pieces and put it in the freezer in a bag. When I want sourdough pancakes, waffles, bread, pizza dough, etc., I let the flour, water & starter sit out overnight (in summer in Phx) or maybe 24 hrs and then proceed from there. Then I know I have a good starter. I’ve been doing this for years and it never fails. I don’t measure how many starter chips I use, I just grab a handful and eyeball it. I might try this although I love Irish soda bread for ease. But, for Outlander dinners, I’ll definitely consider this. With thanks!

Barbara Wortman

November 3, 2014 at 7:56 am

After many many tries with many different recipes I am finally having success with this one. Starter rises nicely directly under the bulb in my oven. I added 7C flour but dough seemed a bit too wet. After second rising I needed to add at least 2 more cups of flour. I put it in the bread machine and let it knead for about 8 minutes. Still so sticky I needed more flour in order to handle it. It should have cleaned the bowl and the bread machine but there was a lot of sticky dough left. Seems like a lot of flour.

Hmmm…not sure why you need so much flour, Barbara. Changes in humidity wouldn’t cause that kind of discrepancy, so I’m puzzled. You definitely want to add enough flour before the first rise to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. The second rise should take place in the pan only, after you’ve divided the dough and formed the loaves.

Colleen

November 17, 2014 at 1:08 pm

I think we may be a success. I started this adventure last night. I put together the starter as directed but it wasn’t a “pourable” consistency, I live in Colorado Springs which is 6,035 ft above sea level. I noticed the same issue with other bread recipes. So, I added more water and of course I didn’t measure it. Poured the starter into the jar covered it and put it in the crock pot with water. Viola!! I wake this morning about 12 hours later and the mass is just bubbling away. 🙂 I let it go another hour and a half-ish while I make your Honey-Buttermilk. I gather the remaining ingredients and put it all together. At first, it was dry and not forming the ball so I added 1 tbls of milk (brain cell kicked in) and the ball formed. It was very sticky so I dusted it with a little flour, formed it up and put it in the bowl for the first rise. After 4 hours, it had doubled up. I cut it in half and it was very sticky. I dusted my hands and had no issue working the dough. It’s in the pans for the second rise as I type. A note, I didn’t get the “rotten cheese” smell when I opened the starter jar. It hit after the 1st rise and I removed the covering. Not overpowering, just noticeable. Can. Not. Wait.

Colleen

November 17, 2014 at 2:56 pm

To finish off the saga. It took 2 hours for the dough to complete the 2nd rise. They are now cooling on a rack. You didn’t specify in the recipe in/out of the pans or for how long. The house has a “cheesy” aroma to it. I distinctly hear butter screaming for the bread.

Robin Gladstein

January 10, 2015 at 8:19 am

My ovens have a 100-degree “proof” setting – do you think putting the jar of starter in a bowl of warm water in the oven would work? Or just the jar, not in water? Thanks!

Ryan Erdos

February 15, 2015 at 4:11 am

Theresa,

SRB was a long standing tradition on my Mom’s side of the family. My Grandmother and her Mother could bake it without fail. My Great Grandmother died when I was 5 and my Grandma died when I was 23. I recall the smell of the SRB at my Great Grandmother’s home and actually tried to learn how to make it by watching my Grandmother who measured nothing. This past summer I tried with two starters (1 w the cornmeal and 1 with the potatoes) but my method of placing the jars in a crockpot of water turned out to be too hot and they failed. Since my Partner and I built a new home and yesterday I realized that I had a “proof” setting on my oven. My thoughts immediately turned to SRB. I set my potato starter in the oven at 6pm and this morning at 5am I had a very foamy rise on the top and I have just set my sponge back in the oven. The only thing I noticed is the cheese aroma did not “show its face” until I strained the potatoes. I hope it works out and needless to say I am very excited. I will let you know.

Good luck, Ryan! I hope it goes well today…send a pic of your success.

Ryan Erdos

February 15, 2015 at 2:57 pm

Theresa,

It was a HUGE success. My sponge doubled and bubbled in a little less than 1.5 hours. The bread is delicious!

Leah Wells

April 24, 2015 at 3:13 pm

I have been eating SRB since childhood, my dad would buy it from Van DeKamp Bakery and bring it home
my sister and I have tried many times to duplicate we did find a bakery in Washington that baked this wonderful bread but they have gone out of business. They purchased their starter from a a company called
Plantation Pride, Salem Va. don’t know if they are still in business but you have me back on track for SRB so before I do all that work I am going to try and contact them.. Wish me luck.

Barbara Wortman

July 14, 2015 at 8:09 am

I have been very successful with this bread from October to May. Now in June and July I have not had any success. The only difference I can imagine is that the humidity here in Texas has been horrible! and I cannot get any starter to work. Could that possibly be the problem?

Mystery n the kitchen! Hmmm…could be the humidity, but I’m wondering about your yeast…what’s the expiry date on the label?

Emily

July 16, 2015 at 9:11 am

Thank you for using this passage and sharing the bread recipe! I just read this chapter last night and thought what a beautiful sharing of what Claire’s domestic daily life would have involved on the ridge. I thought to myself, I’d love to have some of those recipes and try to replicate. You are AMAZING!

Sheri

July 19, 2015 at 10:29 am

I’m giving this fascinating recipe a try! So far, so good. The starter activated and I’m now on the second rise. Keeping my fingers crossed!

I had a craving for some SRB, so I decided to come back for your recipe. I was wondering if you’ve possibly thought about a way to make whole wheat SRB from freshly milled flour. I’ve been making bread from sprouted and dried hard white wheat berries but the fermentation process eliminates the need to sprout the grains. I’m just wondering how to convert the AP to freshly milled hard white.

Elaine

February 20, 2016 at 5:44 am

This may be a silly question, but when you put it in the crockpot, do you leave the lid on or off? I did lid on last night, and it was too hot by morning (145•F). Bummer because when I opened the jar, you could tell that there had been some good gases at some point!